


What Holy Men Really Mean (When They Speak Of Sin)

by WinterSky101



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Renfri | Shrike (The Witcher), BAMF Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Episode: s01e01 The End's Beginning, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, POV Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Renfri | Shrike Deserves Better (The Witcher), Revenge, Stregobor Being an Asshole (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28770501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSky101/pseuds/WinterSky101
Summary: Stregebor, Yennefer knows, is the one who ruined her life. When she comes across another young woman who says the same… Well, Yennefer is more than happy to help Renfri with her revenge.
Relationships: Marilka & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Renfri | Shrike/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	What Holy Men Really Mean (When They Speak Of Sin)

**Author's Note:**

> I've altered the show's timeline a bit - according to the [official timeline](https://witchernetflix.com/en-gb), Yennefer didn't break with the Brotherhood until almost a decade after the events in Blaviken. For the purposes of this fic, however, Yennefer has already broken with the Brotherhood and began searching for a way to restore her fertility before arriving in Blaviken.
> 
> Title comes from "Pray" by The Amazing Devil.

Blaviken was, Yennefer thought as she entered the town, a shithole. Not the worst she'd seen, but most definitely not the best either. She was definitely unlike anything most of the townsfolk had ever seen, though, because their eyes kept catching on her as she walked to the tavern. She wouldn't go there at all if she hadn't heard whispers of a powerful mage who lived in the tower here and made elixirs of every possible kind. Perhaps, she thought, he might have an elixir that would help her.

She entered the tavern with a flourish, picking up her skirts and reveling in the way the room went momentarily silent. She was no longer certain that what she'd gained made up for what she'd lost, but this power was enough to get thoroughly drunk on, even now. She would never be helpless again.

She strode up to the counter and removed her hood. "A beer," she told the tavern keeper, who was staring at her with wide eyes. "And whatever passes for breakfast here."

The man almost tripped over himself to do as she wished. Yennefer took the opportunity to survey the tavern. It was full of townsfolk, mostly men, and at least a good half of them were staring at her. She wondered if more were staring at her body or her clothes. Both seemed to be of a higher quality than most things here.

"Where are you from, then?" a man asked, sidling up to the bar. "They don't make them this beautiful around here."

Yennefer turned her head deliberately away. Yes, part of her loved the attention, but that didn't mean she had to encourage it.

"Come on, love, it's just a question," the man continued. "You-"

He moved to reach for her, but before he could even lift his hand fully off the counter, a dagger pierced through his sleeve and pinned it in place.

"I don't think she's interested," the woman behind him said. "Leave her alone."

There was a tense moment where Yennefer wasn't quite sure what the man would do, then he deflated. "Yes, Renfri," he mumbled, and when the woman pulled her dagger out, the man slunk back to his table without another word.

"I could have taken care of that myself," Yennefer said.

"I'm sure you could have, but he's my man, so he's my responsibility." The woman sheathed her dagger. "I'm Renfri, by the way."

"Yennefer."

The tavern keeper returned with Yennefer's beer and a few thick slices of bread slathered with butter. Yennefer reached for her coin purse, but Renfri shook her head.

"It's on me."

"I can pay."

"I'm sure you can," Renfri agreed, looking a bit amused, "but I'll pay this time. As an apology on my man's behalf."

Yennefer pulled her hand away from her purse, instead reaching for the beer. Renfri smiled. She shot the tavern keeper a look and he grumbled off, leaving Renfri and Yennefer undisturbed.

"You called that man yours," Yennefer said after a long sip of beer. "Your what?"

"One of my band," Renfri replied. "My family, of a sort. The others he's sitting with are mine too."

Yennefer hummed. Renfri picked up her beer and downed it in one long swallow, then winked at Yennefer.

"My mother, God rest her, would be mortified."

Yennefer rolled her eyes, absolutely unwilling to admit she was even the tiniest bit charmed.

"So," Renfri asked, "what brings you to Blaviken, Yennefer?"

"Personal business," Yennefer replied, taking a bite out of her bread.

"Ah, of course," Renfri agreed. "You know, I do know most people here. I could help you find whoever or whatever you're looking for."

"I think I can find it myself."

Renfri sighed. "Suit yourself."

It looked like she might be about to say something more, and then a young blonde girl appeared at Yennefer's elbow and asked, "Are you a witch?"

Yennefer looked at the girl. "Sorceress," she corrected. "Why?"

"Do you know our wizard?" the girl asked. "Master Irion. I can take you to him."

"Let her finish her breakfast, at least," Renfri said, her voice unexpectedly sharp.

Yennefer finished her beer and the slice of bread she'd already taken a bite from, then slid the plate to Renfri. "You can finish it. I'll go meet this Master Irion."

Renfri's jaw worked for a moment, as if she had something she wanted to say but couldn't, then she sighed. "Go on, then."

Yennefer stood in a sweeping of skirts and followed the young girl out of the tavern.

"I'm the alderman's daughter," she explained as they walked. "My father works with Master Irion sometimes, but he never leaves his tower. He does buy odds and ends for his elixirs sometimes. I sold him our dog when it died. Mysteriously."

"Did you?"

"I got fifteen crowns for the yappy mutt," the girl confirmed. "My name is Marilka, by the way. Like milk. What's your name?"

"Yennefer."

"That's a pretty name." Marilka eyed her critically. "You're very pretty too. If you're a sorceress, have you traveled all over the world? I've never even left Blaviken. Because my mother's never left Blaviken, and if it's good enough for Libushe, then it's good enough for Marilka." Marilka sighed. "Where are you from?"

"Vengerberg."

"I don't know where that is," Marilka admitted. "Is it far from here?"

"Not too far."

"Will you visit your home, then? If you're close?"

"It's not my home," Yennefer said firmly. "It's just where I was born. And I'm never going back."

"I wish I could say that about Blaviken," Marilka said with relish. "I want to leave and never come back."

"What about your parents?"

Marilka shrugged. "I don't think they'd care. My mother thinks I'm not ladylike enough. She's not wrong, but I don't care." A look of faint, childish pride came over her face. "I killed a rat this morning with my breakfast fork. Stabbed it in its fat little gut. My mother nearly fainted, but what was I supposed to do? It had been shitting in our pantry for days."

"It sounds like you need a cleaner pantry," Yennefer said dryly.

"Maybe," Marilka agreed, not at all offended. "Here's the tower."

They had indeed reached a tall tower, one layered with wards and spells. Yennefer could taste them on her tongue. "This is where your wizard lives?"

"This is his home," Marilka confirmed. "Do you want me to wait for you to come out?"

"There's no need," Yennefer replied. "Go stab another rat."

Marilka grinned wickedly and skipped off. The child was lively, Yennefer would have to give her that. She wondered if her own child would be quite so playful.

It was easy enough to enter the tower, although its decorations made Yennefer's mouth twist. The illusions of naked women didn't react to her appearance at all, continuing about their illusory work. Whatever sort of man this Master Irion was, Yennefer didn't think she'd like him very much.

And then, a familiar figure - a figure she hated with every inch of her body - strode towards her.

"Yennefer of Vengerberg. It's been quite a while."

"Stregobor," Yennefer spat, her lips curling even more. "What are you doing here?"

"Hiding, I'm afraid to say," Stregobor replied mournfully. "And what brings you here?"

"I'd come to see Master Irion," Yennefer replied. "I suppose I'm to be disappointed, then?"

"Irion is the one who created this tower, but I'm afraid he's been dead for two centuries," Stregobor replied. "In order to honor him, I've taken his name as my personal sobriquet."

"While you hide," Yennefer finished. "Like a coward."

"Such judgment before you even know what I'm hiding from! Tell me, Yennefer, have you ever heard of the Curse of the Black Sun?"

"Foolish idiots like you thought that girls being born during an eclipse was reason enough to kill them all."

"I studied the girls," Stregobor replied defensively. "They all had horrendous internal mutations-"

"That you found after cutting them open," Yennefer retorted. "I'm not helping you with this or anything else, Stregobor."

"They all died, but one," Stregobor says. "The last one is the former princess of Creyden. Her name is Renfri."

Yennefer stiffened, just slightly. So the girl in the tavern was one of Stregobor's cursed maidens, was she? She didn't seem too awful to Yennefer.

"Renfri was acutely affected," Stregobor continued, apparently thinking Yennefer gave a damn what he had to say. "Her stepmother, Aridea, told me she tortured a canary, strangled two puppies, even gouged out her maid's eyes with a comb. I admit what happened next was not ideal, but with the lives of Aridea's own children on the line, we had to act. So I dispatched someone to follow Renfri into the woods. We found him in the brush, Renfri's antique brooch jammed into his ear. After that, I organized a manhunt to find the princess, but she was gone. Two years. Until she reappeared, robbing and murdering merchants on the roads of Mahakam. Impaled them on sticks at first, but soon, she picked up sword skills. And now no man can defy her, it's said."

"Including you, it seems."

"She's resistant to magic."

Yennefer arched an eyebrow. "Then I suppose you're doomed."

"Perhaps, unless you help me."

Yennefer laughed her coldest laugh. "And why would I do that? Besides, if she's resistant to magic, there's nothing I can do."

"You could gain her trust," Stregobor suggested. "She would kill me on sight, but you could get close enough to kill her instead."

"No."

"She is a monster," Stregobor insisted. "She is the last of Lilit's women. And she possesses the power to destroy us all."

Yennefer shrugged. "If she destroys you, you'll deserve it."

"Yennefer!"

"Farewell, Stregobor," Yennefer called as she swept towards the door. "I hope to never see you again."

Stregobor called something else after Yennefer as she left the tower, but she ignored him. Once she was outside and out of his sight, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Stregobor, she knew, had tried his best to ruin her life. He'd been the reason she'd nearly been sent to Nilfgaard. He'd wronged her, and she wanted vengeance.

Fortunately enough, there was another woman in Blaviken who felt the same way.

* * *

Renfri wasn't in the tavern when Yennefer returned, and nor were her men. Yennefer asked the tavern keeper if he knew where they were, and he told her, after she flirted the information out of him, that they tended to hide out in the woods. He didn't know quite where, but Yennefer was a sorceress; if she couldn't track down the band of men, she didn't deserve to find them at all.

Renfri was indeed resistant to magic, but her men didn't share the same power. Yennefer tracked them and headed straight to their camp. The swords pointed at her were cute, but not at all worrying. Besides, they were all held by the men, and the person she wanted to see was the woman at the front with her hands on her hips.

"Renfri," Yennefer said, ignoring the men and their swords entirely. She may have been visibly unarmed but for a small knife at her waist, but she knew she was more dangerous than every man combined. "I think I can offer you a deal."

"Is that why you tracked us down, then?" Renfri asked. "We don't take kindly to that, sorceress."

"I think you'll take kindly to my offer, though," Yennefer said. "I want to help you kill Stregobor."

Silence spread through the camp like a plague. The men looked shocked, but Renfri's expression didn't change at all.

"And why should I trust you?" she asked. "You're a sorceress. You have magic, just like him. Why wouldn't you be on his side?"

"Because Stregobor did his best to ruin my life, just like he ruined yours," Yennefer replied. "I haven't gotten my vengeance for that yet. This is my best chance."

Renfri looked contemplative, then she stepped forward until she was almost nose to nose with Yennefer, looking her dead in the eye.

"You really want Stregobor dead?"

"I really want him dead."

A smile spread across Renfri's face. "Then let's come up with a plan to kill him."

The men parted, sheathing their swords, as Renfri led Yennefer to her tent. It was small, but comfortable enough. There were two cushions on the ground, and Renfri sat on one while Yennefer lowered herself onto the other.

"My plan was to kill Stregobor tomorrow, at the market," Renfri began. "If he didn't come, my men and I would start attacking the townsfolk until he did. With you here, though, I think we might be able to come up with a better solution."

"That wouldn't work anyway," Yennefer replied. "Stregobor cares more about saving his own skin than saving anyone else. He wouldn't come out to meet you, even if you bathed the streets in blood."

Renfri leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Then what do you suggest?"

"I can get you into his tower," Yennefer declared. "He wants me to help kill you. If I go back to him, he'll think I've agreed. Once I'm inside, I can lower the wards and let you in."

"And you swear you will?"

"You have more of a right to his head than I do. I want him dead, but you can strike the blow."

"What did he do to you?" Renfri asked.

"I was promised the position of court mage in Aedirn," Yennefer said. "Stregobor tried to send me to Nilfgaard instead."

There was plainly more to the story, but Renfri didn't ask for it. "I assume he told you about me. How I'm meant to bring about the end of the world."

"He told me how he persecuted women born during an eclipse because of some foolish prophecy," Yennefer dismissed. "He tried to have you killed, and that man ended up dead instead."

"Stregobor's man raped me, robbed me, and let me go," Renfri said. "No more princess. I had to survive. I stole rather than starve. I killed rather than be killed."

"You don't have to defend yourself to me," Yennefer said. "Whatever you've done, I've probably done worse."

"Do they call you a monster too, then?"

Yennefer shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Does it bother you?"

Yennefer bared her teeth. "I know what I am. What does it matter what anyone else thinks?"

"I don't know if I'm a monster," Renfri admitted. "When I cut my finger, I bleed. That's human, right? When I overeat, my stomach aches. When I'm happy, I laugh. When I'm upset, I swear. And when I hate someone for stealing my whole life from me, I kill him."

"And I'll get you inside his tower to do it," Yennefer agreed.

"What are you going to do afterwards?" Renfri asked.

Yennefer shrugged. "Leave Blaviken. Keep traveling. What about you?"

Renfri hummed in thought. "Killing Stregobor has been my goal for years. With him gone… I don't know what I'll do."

"Would you back to Creyden?" Yennefer asked. "I could come with you and tell them that Stregobor has been discredited and everything he said about you was false. You could be a princess again."

"No," Renfri said, shaking her head. "I won't go back to Creyden. It's not my home anymore. I'm not that princess anymore."

Yennefer thought of how little she wanted to return to Vengerberg. "I understand."

"Maybe I'll travel, like you," Renfri mused. "I think I'd like to see more of the world."

"It can be a cruel place. But there can be beauty in it too."

"I'd like to see more of the beauty, I think. I've seen so much cruelty."

Renfri was leaning forward, just slightly. Yennefer realized she was leaning forward as well. "I can be cruel," she said, and it came out a whisper.

"So can I," Renfri replied. "But you're beautiful too."

"So are you," Yennefer says, and then Renfri's lips were against hers.

For the first few moments, Renfri's touch was gentle, achingly so. Then she kissed harder, and harder, and she _pushed_ in a way that no man Yennefer had ever been with had pushed. Yennefer found that she liked it. Tenderness had its place, but this was a compelling alternative.

When they pulled apart, Renfri's fingers dropped to the buttons on Yennefer's dress. "May I?"

"As long as you hurry up about it," Yennefer retorted.

Renfri laughed, a surprisingly youthful sound, and began undoing button after button. Yennefer's dress fell from her shoulders and pooled around her, and Renfri's clever fingers moved from the buttons to the layers underneath and began pulling them off one by one.

"What about you?" Yennefer asked, looking up at Renfri. "Will you allow me to undress you as well?"

"Of course," Renfri agreed, "although I'm not nearly as beautiful as you."

"Let me be the judge of that," Yennefer countered, and she reached for the top of Renfri's shirt.

* * *

Later, they lay on Renfri's bedroll together, both naked and sweaty and sated, and breathed. "We could travel together, if you wish," Yennefer said quietly. "For a while, at least."

"Maybe," Renfri replied. "I think that would be nice."

"And Stregobor will be dead, so you won't have to worry about anyone coming after you."

Renfri hummed. "Will you?"

Yennefer thought of Tissaia, who still thought she might come home. "Perhaps."

"Do you need my help with them?"

"No."

Renfri hummed again. She'd taken Yennefer's wrist in her hand and was gently sliding her thumb along the scars that adorned it. She didn't ask, for which Yennefer was grateful. Renfri most likely had scars of her own.

"Do you think there can be a place in the world for us?" Renfri asked after a long silence. "A place for those who so thoroughly reject the mold they're meant to fit?"

"If there isn't a place, we'll make one," Yennefer replied, a fierceness to her voice. "No one can control me, not anymore. I make my own decisions."

"I thought so," Renfri agreed. "Sometimes, when I was younger, I used to dream of a world where I could be what I wanted to be, and no one would try to stop me. Now, I know I can't prevent others from trying, but I can make sure they don't succeed."

"What was that world of yours like?" Yennefer asked.

"Kind," Renfri admitted. "Beautiful. I had a mother who loved me, instead of a stepmother who hated me. No one cared what the sun was doing when I was born. I could be just as much of a princess as I wanted to be, nothing more, nothing less."

"It sounds like a better world."

"It wasn't real, though," Renfri murmured. "This world is."

"This world is crueler, but fighting is what makes us strong."

"We shouldn't have to fight to be strong," Renfri argued. "We should be allowed to be what we'll be."

"We should," Yennefer agreed. "We aren't."

"In a better world, perhaps," Renfri mused. "But we must make the best of the world we have."

"So we fight instead," Yennefer murmured, trailing her fingers along Renfri's shoulder.

"Do you think there's more than just fighting?" Renfri asked. "If there is, I'd like to see it. I've always had to fight for what I want. It's kept me alive, and it's made me strong, but it makes me tired too."

"Once Stregobor is dead, perhaps you won't have to fight so dearly," Yennefer said, suddenly thinking that Renfri seemed very young.

"Perhaps," Renfri agreed. "But what will I do then?"

"I suppose you'll find out."

Renfri sighed, nestling against Yennefer. "I suppose I will."

"We can travel," Yennefer offered again. "We can go somewhere far away, somewhere nothing like Blaviken."

"Maybe we can find a place that's kind and beautiful," Renfri said wistfully. "Like the world I dreamed of."

"And if we can't find it, maybe we can make it," Yennefer agreed.

For a moment more, Renfri's face looked youthful and almost vulnerable, then her expression hardened. "We should make a plan."

Yennefer let out a long breath. "Yes, we should. Shall we go after Stregobor in the morning?"

"Before the market is best, I think," Renfri decided. "If you agree."

"You're the one who's been preparing for this for years. You should make the plans."

"Before the market, then. What will you say to him, to get him to let you in?"

Yennefer shrugged. "Stregobor is the sort of man who's always convinced he's right. If I tell him I changed my mind and I agree with him, he'll be vain enough to believe it easily. All I have to do is stoke his ego a little. It shouldn't take too long to disable his wards once I'm inside."

"Will he know you've done it?"

"If I'm careful, he shouldn't know until you step inside."

"And then I take his head off," Renfri said with grim satisfaction. "He'll never hurt me or anyone else again."

Yennefer nodded her agreement. "We'll both get our revenge."

"And we can see who we'll be afterwards."

"Indeed we can."

Renfri sighed, nestling against Yennefer. "But for now, let's sleep."

Yennefer looked down at Renfri. She hadn't been celibate since Istredd, but she hadn't had a relationship since. She certainly hadn't had someone sleep against her like this. She hadn't thought Renfri would be the type, honestly.

That didn't mean she didn't like it.

"Yes," Yennefer agreed, wrapping a tentative arm around Renfri, "let's sleep."

* * *

The next morning, Yennefer put her dress back on, cast a quick spell to freshen it, gave Renfri a kiss, and headed to Stregobor's tower. The wards were strong as ever, thick on her tongue, and Yennefer searched for weak points to unravel while she knocked on the door.

It took a moment, but finally, Yennefer felt the wards bend for her. She stepped inside and immediately got to work at making sure the wards bent again, her hands twitching behind her back as she walked deeper into the tower.

"Stregobor?" she called. "I've changed my mind. I think you're right."

"Do you now," Stregobor's voice called, echoing through the tower so Yennefer had no idea where it originated. "Right about what?"

"The woman," Yennefer said. "Renfri. If she truly has the power to end the world, she has to be stopped." Yennefer walked deeper into the tower, her fingers still twitching against her skirts as she tugged at the threads in the wards until they came undone. "We may have had our differences in the past, but the fate of the entire world comes before that."

There was silence for a long moment, just as Yennefer opened a hole in the wards big enough for Renfri to pass through. She twitched a finger to set off their signal and waited for Renfri to come in.

Somewhere above her - or at least, Yennefer was fairly certain the sound came from above her - Stregobor began to laugh. "Well done, my dear. I very nearly believed that."

Yennefer froze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know about your little plan," Stregobor said. His voice seemed to be getting closer. "I know you went to see Renfri last night, and I know you chose her over me. I know you're helping her in here right now. And I know…"

Stregobor appeared with a flourish, holding a struggling, terrified Marilka to his chest. He flashed Yennefer a terrible smile. "You're not going to let her kill the girl."

"No one lets me do anything," Renfri declared, sword in hand as she stalked through the open front doors. "I was willing to slaughter the entire town to get you to come out. The girl is working for you anyway."

"Renfri, no," Yennefer said sharply. "She's a child."

"I was a child too, when he ruined me," Renfri snapped. "I'm not waiting any longer, Yennefer. You swore you'd let me into the tower and let me take his head off."

Stregobor pulled Marilka up so her neck was in front of his. Marilka whimpered. "You'll take her head off too, you monster."

"Give me a minute," Yennefer said quickly. "Just a minute, and then you can kill him."

Renfri looked at Yennefer quickly. "Once I start, I won't be able to stop."

"Then don't start until the minute is up."

"You can't reason with her, Yennefer," Stregobor said. "She's a monster. She's little more than a beast. All she knows is bloodlust."

"She's a woman," Yennefer countered. She took a step forward and Stregobor took a step back, keeping Marilka well out of arm's length. "She was an innocent, until you got your hands on her. She deserved better than this."

"She can't help how she was born, but nor can I help that I have a duty to protect this world from threats that would end it."

"You are a greater threat to this world than she is. Let Marilka go."

"If you kill me, Marilka will only be the first to die because of it," Stregobor said. "I protect people, Yennefer. I'm a member of the Brotherhood. That's what we _do_. If I die-"

"Then people will be _safer_ ," Renfri spat. "You're not a _protector_. Don't claim to be." She looked at Yennefer. "Can I kill him yet?"

"Just a few more seconds."

"What can a few seconds change?" Stregobor taunted. "Kill me or don't, Renfri, but you will not be able to avoid having this girl's blood on your-"

"Take it, Marilka!" Yennefer cried, shoving her small knife through her end of the portal she'd just made and pressing it into Marilka's hands on the other. Stregobor didn't react quite quickly enough to stop Marilka from stabbing the knife into his stomach, and when Stregobor released her in shock, Marilka dropped just in time to avoid Renfri's sword as it flashed above her and sliced through Stregobor's neck.

His head hit the ground with a _thump_ , and his body followed a moment after.

"He's dead," Renfri whispered. "He's really dead."

Marilka laughed, sounding mildly hysterical. "I stabbed him in his fat little gut, just like the rat," she told Yennefer, her lower lip wobbling.

"You did," Yennefer agreed, stepping slowly towards Marilka. "You did exactly right."

"I can't go home," Marilka whispered, her eyes filling with tears that spilled and splattered on the bloody floor. "I can't- They won't understand. They-"

"No one has to know," Renfri said, in a way that Yennefer thought was supposed to be comforting. "If anyone asks, you can tell them it was all me."

"I can't go home," Marilka repeated, seeming as if she hadn't heard Renfri at all. "I can't, I can't-"

"Then you can come with me," Yennefer offered. "For a while, at least. You can see the world." After all, Marilka wasn't quite the baby Yennefer wanted, but she needed someone, and what Yennefer really wanted was for someone to need her. Perhaps, at least for a while, that someone could be Marilka.

"Really?" Marilka asked, looking up at Yennefer with wide, wet eyes.

"Do you enjoy picking up strays?" Renfri asked quietly.

"Perhaps I should do it more often," Yennefer countered. She held out a hand to Marilka to help her up. "Now, before we get out of here, let me fix your clothes."

Marilka watched in amazement as the blood leeched out of her dress and spilled back onto the floor. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Probably not," Yennefer replied honestly, "but we can try."

"Oh, wonderful, traveling with two mages," Renfri muttered.

"Probably just one," Yennefer assured her. "Will you still be traveling with us, then?"

Marilka looked at Renfri, a bit of fear in her eyes. "You'll be traveling with us?"

"Nothing Stregobor said about her was true," Yennefer told Marilka. "She's not a monster."

"I should probably settle some things with my men before I go wandering," Renfri admitted. "It'll probably only take a day or two."

Yennefer looked at Marilka. "Do you mind staying with Renfri and her men for a day or two?"

Marilka looked at Renfri, some fear still visible in her eyes. At first, Yennefer wasn't quite sure how she'd respond, then she shook her head slowly.

"But not here," she requested quietly. "Not in Blaviken."

"No," Yennefer agreed, looking up at Renfri, "I don't think any of us want to stay in Blaviken any longer than we have to."

"Where do you want to go?" Renfri asked Marilka, a bit awkwardly.

"Somewhere far away and beautiful," Marilka said. "Somewhere nothing like here."

Yennefer and Renfri shared a look, and Yennefer slowly began to smile.

"I think we can find something like that."

"And if not," Renfri agreed, smiling a bit herself, "I think we can make it."

**Author's Note:**

> My writing tumblr is [here](http://winterskywrites.tumblr.com/), if you're interested.


End file.
